Closure top



NOV. 3, 1953 1 NORDEN 2,657,848

I CLOSURE TOP Filed April 19, 1950 INVENTOR. M5635 NO/Pof/V Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UNITED sursis PATENT fotipica Jesse Norden/Kew GardenalN. i1. .Application April i12, 1950,"Nn. `l158328 f achim (Cieza- 11) My invention `'relates to improvements in closures for flat-top containers.

Present day closures are -vobiect-ionable .in y.that they involve an extra tab for covering the pouring opening; the small 'lip -or apron around the tab does not offer sufii'cient protection from :a sanitary lstandpoint.; and .due ite projection of the tab, the containers .cannotbereasily stacked. Furthermore, .conventionalontainers nov/on the market are weakly constructed. For zexample, being formed vfrom .a single thickness .oi `card board, Ithe .closure plug, 4after :being opened 1only afew times,,frequently,develops.al resiliency which thereafter tends ,to hold Sit partially open even when forcibly `depressed I have overcome these faults in a general sense by the provision of a self-contained, laminated structure in which the lower portion is formed with a pouring opening and an air vent, While the upper portion is a substantial replica of the lower portion with its rear half sealed to the lower portion and its front half hinged to the rear half and carrying a depression which engages the pouring opening, a protective depending flange and a lifting tab. And being laminated and especially designed for use with the type of container covered by my Patent No. 2,572,655, dated October 25, 1951, it is of sturdy construction and resists any tendency of the plug from flopping and staying open.

To the accomplishment of the recited objects and others subordinate thereto, the preferred embodiment of my invention resides in the arrangement and construction of parts shown in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a container equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of the upper part of the container showing the cover in open position.

Fig. 3 is a detailed transverse section along lines 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken along lines 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan of the top illustrating the manner of sealing the laminated sections.

Referring specifically to the drawings. 5 6 designate a unit consisting of pairs of superimposed companion sheets of paper or the like. The precise contour of the unit is immaterial, and may be varied in accordance with the particular type of containers for which it is designed.

l'Iii At its forward extremity rthe lower section ,s

'isprevided with :a pouring opening l and .an air 'venti-8. The upper section 5 yis sealed to .the flower ysection at points, t0 and ,1I-.I .('see Fig. .50. @and 4approarimIttely .medial-ly thereo as .at .I2, it 'scored -or weakened .to enable the forward por tion for flap lf3 to be vraised or .lowered vat will;

Towards the liront `of the aap the .section formed withadepression vI4.fo1'.fzictiorial:engage- `xneatwith opening 1., andslightly in -`advance .of

this opening the section `is :extended ,to present an operatingitab 4.6 whichfnonnallyliestrelatively flat .against the front efrthe container I-B.

The outer edges -ef yboth .sections L5---5 vare fashioned into depen Y' g flanges stl-d8. The entire flange I8 of the lower section and the rear half of flange I I of the upper section are permanently clinched against the lip I9 of the container neck 2li-thus leaving flange 2I of flap I3 free to move when the flap is opened and closed. K

In operation, the flap I3 is opened by grasping and lifting tab I5, as illustrated in Fig. 2the seals I0 and II thus being broken. The contents of the container may then be readily poured through opening 'I which I prefer to make relatively small in diameter to insure a free and smooth flow of fluid and the elimination of splashing-the reduced diameter of the opening being made possible by the inclusion of the vent 8 lClosing is effected by forcing the depression Il into opening 1, which makes for a tight f1tthereby avoiding leakage. This obviously results from the multiple plies of paper employed in the plug I 4 and the wall of the opening 1.

Protective flange or apron 2| of the flap reduces to a minimum the possibility of any contamination of the pouring surface before or after use.

A container equipped with my ilat closure-top is neat and artistic in appearance and gives the impression that it is a one-piece structure. vIt is completely devoid of projections or other gadgets which clutter it and interfere with proper stacking of the container units.

I claim:

l. The combination with a brous container for liquids having a neck provided with a laterally extending peripheral lip, of a closure top comprising two superposed laminated sheets of paper or the like, the bottom sheet fitting upon and being crimped over said lip, and said bottom sheet having a pouring opening therein near a 5 marginal portion thereof, the top sheet structure completely covering the upper face of the bottom sheet and including a hinge extending medially thereof completely across the same, one half of the top sheet at one side of the hinge being flxedly secured to the bottom sheet to one side of the pouring opening in the latter, said half of the top sheet having its outer peripheral portion extending over and beneath said lip and being clinched against the adjacent marginal portion of the bottom sheet, the other half of the top sheet at the other side of the hinge being free for swinging movement and having an integral depressed portion constituting a plug extending below its lower face to flt into and seal said pouring opening, said last mentioned movable half of the top sheet when positioned to insert its closure plug into and seal the pouring opening fitting ilat against the bottom sheet and extend--A ing nush with the other half of the top sheet and presenting therewith a substantially continuous ilat outer face, and means sealing the movable half of the top sheet to the bottom sheet. A

2. The combination with a fibrous container for liquids having a neck provided with a laterally.l

extending peripheral lip, of a closure top comprising two superposed laminated sheets of paper or the like, the bottom sheet fitting upon and being crimped over said lip, and said bottom sheet having a pouring opening therein near a marginal portion thereof, the top sheet structure completely covering the upper face of the bottom sheet and including a hinge extending medially thereof completely across the same, one half of the top sheet at one side of the hinge being fixedly secured to the bottom sheet to one side of the pouring opening in the latter, said half of the top sheet having its outer peripheral portion extending over and beneath said lip and being clinched against the adjacent marginal por-tion of the bottom sheet, the other half of the top sheet at the other side of the hinge being free for swinging movement and having an integral depressed portion constituting a plug extending below its lower face to fit into and seal said pouring opening, and said last mentioned movable half of the top sheet having an apron portion depending from and extending completely along its outer marginal portion to cover the marginal portion of the bottom sheet forwardly of said pouring opening. said last mentioned movable half of the top sheet when positioned to insert its closure plug into and seal the pouring ,opening fitting flat against the bottom sheet and extending flush with the other half of the top sheet and presenting therewith a substantially continuous at outer face.

' JESSE NORDEN.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,135,855 Snyder Nov. 8, 1938 2,249,052 Seiiert July 15, 1941 2,272,203 Hothersall Feb. 10, 1942 2,321,042 Preis June 8, 1942 2,338,019 Baker Dec. 28, 1943 2,393,758 Downing Jan. 29, 1946 2,435,155 Palmer Jan. 27, 1948 2,499,416 Reid et 8.1. Mar. 7, 1950 2,570,266 Nordquist Oct. 9, 1951 

